Deuteronomy 11:18 – 25 “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, speaking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates, so that as long as the heavens are above the earth, your days and those of your children may be multiplied in the land that the LORD swore to give your fathers.
For if you carefully keep all these commandments I am giving you to follow—to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him— then the LORD will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and stronger than you. Every place where the sole of your foot treads will be yours. Your territory will extend from the wilderness to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River to the Western Sea. No man will be able to stand against you; the LORD your God will put the fear and dread of you upon all the land, wherever you set foot, as He has promised you.”
Make no mistake! God knows that people have lousy memories! To help the Israelites remember God’s commandments, God wants them to literally bind small containers on their arms and their foreheads and on the doorposts of their homes and on their gates. The Israelites are to post God’s commandments in so many places that they will always be within sight of them. And God wants the Israelites to constantly remember these commandments, discuss them with one another, and to teach them to their children. If the Israelites will only follow orders, they will be blessed beyond all measure. They will even get to claim every bit of ground that they walk on, wherever they go, and all the nations around them will fall before them.
This passage is part of the basis for the wearing of Tefillin, the containers pictured above. Many observant Jewish worshipers still wear the Tefillin when praying. The container for the commandments is called a mezuzah and is found at the entrances to many Jewish homes.
Why wear tefillin or have mezuzahs? If someone truly loves God, they will delight to keep His commandments. Tefillin and mezuzahs can serve as reminders of God’s love, His grace, and His mercy. At the same time, if these things are used mechanically, they are meaningless and may even be viewed more as charms than as acts of obedience.
APPLICATION: Although the tefillin and mezuzahs are used by many observant Jews today, most Christians do not use them. But the driving idea behind these memory aids is one of respect, awe, and obedience to the One True Living God who is truly the Lord God of the Universe.
God is more concerned about our heart attitudes than anything else. If God tells us to do something, do we obey or do we argue?
We were preparing to return to Ghana on November 8, 2021, when we learned that my brother Rus had been stricken with COVID pneumonia. We immediately prayed, asking God whether we should remain in America or return to Ghana as scheduled. God ordered us to return to Ghana. Over the next several days, we maintained close contact with Rus’s family. At first the news was hopeful; however, a few days ago, Rus took a turn for the worse. Sadly, my brother died on November 17, 2021.
When we prayed, we could have argued with God. We could have marshal led all kinds of reasons why we needed to remain in America. But the mission hospital where we work needed my services as a doctor. I could do very little for my brother, apart from praying. I could pray just as well from Ghana as I could from America. And Christmas is coming; at Christmas time our hospital is one of the few in our area to have doctors at post.
Am I sad at my brother’s passing? Of course. I was very close to Rus and we loved each other dearly. But we made sure that we told him we loved him and demonstrated that while we were with him. Rus was a dedicated Christian and we know that he is now with Jesus. We have the promise of the resurrection and the hope of eternal life.
My brother was many things, but among others, he was a gifted Bible teacher. There is no finer thing I can do for my brother’s memory than to continue to write these Bible studies.
Should you wear tefillin? Not necessarily. But there’s nothing wrong with posting Bible verses around your house, particularly if you are trying to memorize them. And most importantly, write those verses in your heart and mind so that you will always have them available.
God promises that those who study His Word will be blessed. Why not get those blessings for yourself?
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Thank You for the life of my brother Rus and for all who follow hard after You. Help us to study Your Word and to hide it in our hearts. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment